STALKER: The Rising Sun
by Saint Dane01
Summary: Story is complete... for now. It stands on its own while still leaving room for a continuation, which I might do in the future, but for now I'm leaving it where it is. Thanks for all your comments, I really, REALLY appreciate them!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"Alright, shut the hell up, and _listen, _'cause I'm only gonna explain this _once." _The fatigues-clad man standing before us punctuated his words with the click of a magazine being rammed into the grip of his pistol. I and the three others I was with stood in a thicket of brush. A couple hundred meters away, the army outpost at the border of the Zone was just visible over the crest of the hill to our right.

"My name is Cosmo. The four of you are here because you paid my friend and I to show you a way into the Chernobyl exclusion zone. We ain't here to ask questions. We're here to get the four of you safely to the rookie camp half a mile from here, and then be on our merry way." As he spoke, I glanced around at the others. Two men stood on my right. They appeared to be twins, but I wasn't sure. They hadn't said a single word on the truck ride here. To my left was a remarkably short woman. She at least had the friendliness to tell me her name was Stelayanava. She told me just to call her Stela. The four of us had been given rusted, worn handguns and a magazine of 9 millimeter rounds as part of our deal.

"For those of you who don't know, the Zone is the area surrounding the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. After the most recent nuclear disaster, the area has been changed. Mutated animals, criminals, mercenaries, and worse infest the area. You four are probably here to make a living finding and selling artifacts. These artifacts are the products of anomalies, locations where the laws of physics have been warped by the nuclear emissions from the center of the zone. But that isn't my business; you'll have to talk to the local trader at the rookie camp for work. Are the four of you ready to head out?" He paused and looked around at our meager party. The twins nodded their assent. I wasn't quite sure, though. For a moment, I thought back, recalling why I was even here in the first place.

I was running. Long story short, I pissed off some people I didn't want to face, and Cosmo and his friend Brian had promised that, for a pretty hefty fee, they could get us into the Zone, no questions asked. I had always loved adventure, and it seemed like a good way to avoid Gedeon. But that wasn't important now. The only thing important right now was how we were going to make it into the Zone of Alienation without getting shot full of holes.

"I'm ready," Stela said. "Let's hear the plan."

"I'm ready too," I found myself saying. "You're taking us around the military outpost, right? Won't they shoot us on sight?"

Cosmo turned to me. "Only if they're in a bad mood. Normally they give outsiders a warning, then open fire. There are two mounted machine guns at the outpost. If they see us, we're not turning back, so just be prepared to take cover. We'll wait about 15 minutes or so until the sun begins to set, then start our trek.

"Why not wait until it's dark? We'd be harder to see, right?" I asked.

"Two things. One, if the army starts shooting, we'll be silhouetted against the sun. That'll make us a lot harder to hit. Two, you don't want to be lost in the Zone at night." It sounded like he spoke from experience.

"We'll head around the west side of this hill, to put it between us and the army," he continued. "If they start firing, drop prone and find yourself some cover, then wait for my orders. This is only going to work if you agree to do exactly what I tell you, when I tell you to do it. The Zone isn't a place for cowards or the incompetent, so if you can't crawl under a little bit of machine gun fire, you're better off heading home. We'll give you half of a refund if any of you want to back out now." One of the twins looked around nervously, but kept quiet. I looked at Stela and gave a tiny, nervous grin. She didn't return it.

"Nobody? Alright, I guess. The sun is about to set. Everyone check your gear and get ready to go."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

A torrent of machine gun fire filled the air inches above my head. The roar of the guns and the snap of bullets whizzing above me was almost deafening. As I continued to crawl slowly forwards, I could barely hear Cosmo screaming at us to keep our heads down and keep moving forward.

"MOVE, dammit! We're nearly there!" He was right. Lifting my head, I could see the tops of the cluster of ramshackle wooden buildings that made up the rookie camp, just over a small patch of trees. We had the crest of the hill between us and the army machine guns for now, but up ahead was a patch of clear ground with no cover. We would have to cross that small portion of open ground before we reached the small dense thicket between us and the camp. After that, Cosmo assured us, we would be safe. The soldiers at the border outpost didn't actually go in to the Zone to hunt down people like us.

Cosmo twisted around to look at us. "This is it!," he roared. "I'm going to give suppressing fire while you run out in twos." I was surprised, to say the least. The man had already received his money, yet he was still willing to risk his life for us. I felt a momentary pang of guilt. I had left my family behind for fear of my own safety, and here this man was risking his own life for four strangers. He pointed at the the silent twins. "You two first. On my mark, _run." _ He drew his assault rifle and edged up almost to the crest of the hill, his back against a fallen log. "They won't be expecting us to actually fire back. Hopefully this will give us a few moments. On my mark..."

"_GO!"_ I watched as the dark-haired twins sprinted out into the field, heading for the safety of the trees. Cosmo opened fire upon the distant machine guns. Spent shell casings rained from above me as I covered my ears. He fired in bursts, his goal not necessarily to hit them, but to at least make them stop shooting for a moment, and it worked. For just a moment, the bullets flying towards the twins ceased. I saw them both run into the safety of the dense trees, and collapse, breathless, on the ground.

"Haha, take _that_ you bastards! Alright, Artyom, Stela, your turn. I'll start firing, then you two go. Got it?"

"Yeah, I got it. I'm ready," I lied.

"Good. Let's do this then." He rose once again to fire at the distant military outpost, as Stela looked back at me, making sure I was ready. But just as Cosmo opened fire, the distant roar of the machine guns started up again. A strangled cry escaped his lips as Cosmo fell backwards, tumbling a few feet down the side of the hill. I couldn't move. I couldn't think. Dark pools of red blossomed on his jacket as he slammed backwards into the dirt.

"_SHIT!"_ Stela cried. My paralysis broke, and I scrambled down to check his pulse. He was gone. Even though I barely knew this man, he had died for us. For me. I don't remember exactly what went through my mind at that moment, but I felt like I had to repay him somehow. So I picked up his rifle, clambered back up, and told Stela to run. She looked back at me with a shocked expression, then nodded her assent, silently thanking me. She ran.

I could feel my heart pounding on my ribcage as I shakily raised the gun above the log and peeked out towards the army camp. I'd never fired a gun this large before, and I knew I wouldn't hit any of them, but my fire might just give Stela the extra second she needed to make it safely to the treeline. Pressing the stock of the Kalashnikov against my shoulder, I pulled the trigger. Bullets sprayed wildly towards the outpost as the recoil forced the weapon upwards. As the first volley of machine gun fire swept over the hill below and up towards me, I stopped firing and ducked back below the log. I didn't have any other magazines, and even if I did I probably wouldn't even know how to reload anyway. There had to only be a few rounds left. To my right I saw Stela make it safely into the treeline. She helped both of the twins to their feet then turned to me. During a break in the incoming fire, she called out to me.

"Artyom! Come on! This is your only chance!" But I knew if I tried to run across the field with nobody to suppress the army's gunners, I would be cut down in seconds.

"Check Cosmo's bag! I think he had some grenades!," Stela called from across the field. Grenades? There's no way I could throw them all the way to the army outpost. But I didn't have many other options. Once more, I scrambled down the side of the hill towards Cosmo's body. It didn't feel right to be taking from the dead, but at that moment all I could think about was how in the hell I was going to get out of that situation alive. Rummaging through his backpack, I found two grey and red striped canisters, marked "SMK" My mind drew a blank for a few seconds before I realized they must be smoke grenades. I had already formulated a plan by the time I made it back up the embankment.

I pulled the pin out of both grenades as I silently prayed to whatever Gods there were for my plan to succeed. I threw one grenade back towards the way we had come from, and one to the field I had to cross to make it to the treeline. With any luck they would think I had given up and was trying to head back, so they would shoot at the cloud of smoke behind me. If not, I prayed they at least guessed wrong.

They did. I grabbed the worn and rusted AK rifle and sprinted with all my might towards the treeline ahead. The thick smoke clogged my lungs but I resisted the urge to cough. Over the sound of my pained breathing, I heard the machine guns start up again. My heart froze for a moment before I realized they had guessed wrong and were firing at the cloud of smoke behind me. They realized their mistake a moment too late, as I finally made it into the safety of the woods. Smiling and doubled over from exhaustion, I allowed myself to collapse into the dirt. I had made it.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The rookie camp at Cordon was a surprisingly peaceful place. Decaying wooden buildings sat clustered around a dirt road, bordered towards the west by a thick forest, and the east by the main road heading north, towards the deeper areas of the Zone. The last rays of sunlight had just disappeared over the horizon, and groups of Stalkers sat in small groups inside the buildings or around small campfires. Most carried only a handgun and maybe a hunting shotgun, but a couple wore worn-looking AK rifles on their backs. A few looked up and nodded as we passed, but most kept their heads down. A somber melody emanated from one campfire, where two men with a guitar and harmonica were playing a quiet, melancholic tune.

The four of us were headed towards the local trader's bunker. We walked in silence. We were still a bit shaken up over Cosmo's death. I'd never seen anyone die in my life. I'd seen violence, and caused more than my fair share of it. I'd even fired weapons before. But the image of him being cut down by machine gun fire wouldn't leave my mind. I doubted I'd ever truly forget it.

Up ahead, the cellar doors leading to the trader's bunker were thrown wide open. The four of us made our way down a cramped, dimly lit tunnel. After a few dozen meters, the tunnel ended at a thick steel door. One of the mute twins stepped forward and pulled it open, holding it for us as we stepped through. The room beyond was small, but more brightly lit than the concrete tunnel we had just exited. A white-haired, rotund man sat at a desk behind a set of iron bars, separating the back half of the room from us.

"Ah, welcome. I'm Sidorovich. You four must be the new Stalkers Cosmo and Brian were talking about. Looks like you made it here in one piece. I could hear the army's guns from here. How was your little trip, eh?" He looked around at us with a wolfish grin. "Well? How'd it go?"

I swallowed nervously. "We-"

"Cosmo didn't make it," Stela blurted out. She glanced at me with a grim expression.

Sidorovich seemed shocked into silence. "Wh... what? Those bastards killed him? My God. I never thought he... I'm sorry. What happened happened." He paused for a moment to steady himself. "How did you four make it here without him?"

Before I could say anything, Stela once again spoke up. "Cosmo got these two through safely." She gestured towards the perpetually silent pair to her right. "That's when he... when he died. After that, Artyom here covered me while I made it across. He barely made it himself."

I looked to my left and gave Stela a wry smile. She nodded.

"Well. You're to be commended, Artyom. Not many rookies would risk their lives like that."

I said nothing. A better person might have at least tried to be modest, but I enjoyed the feeling of knowing I had done something good for once.

Sidorovich turned towards the twins. "As for you two, its good to finally meet you. You come highly recommended. Here, take these. I'll contact you tomorrow morning." He handed the two of them a pair of PDAs. The pair nodded and turned to leave. I shot a questioning glance at the trader, but he shook his head and waved my silent question away.

"Here, can't forget you two either. Artyom, I was going to give you the same older model I give to the other rookies, but I think after what you did today you deserve first pick of the more recent line." Stela and I stepped forwards to receive our PDAs. Mine had a noticeably larger screen and another row of buttons on the side, as well as a wireless earbud. I shrugged and pocketed the device.

"Anyway, both of you come see me tomorrow at sunrise. I have a job perfect for a pair of rookies. And remember; you do right by me, and I'll repay the favor."

* * *

><p>Dawn was breaking over the rookie camp. Warm sunlight peaked out over the trees to the east as the last vestiges of last night's cloud cover began to dissipate. I had spent the night in the attic of one of the wooden buildings along the road. The rookie Stalkers had begun to warm up to us a bit. Stela and I settled in around the campfire where two stalkers were playing music. One of the Stalkers, a man named Scout, told the two of us about some of his travels in the Zone. Over a bottle of vodka, Scout told us about the radioactive junkyard to the north, called Garbage. He had had a few run-ins with bandits, who supposedly infested the area. North of Garbage was an area called Rostok, where the 100 Rads Bar was located. As the crackling fire slowly died down to a few embers, he spoke at length about his hatred for a group called Duty. Before he passed out drunk, I left to find a place to sleep for the night.<p>

Stela fell in beside me wordlessly as I made my way towards the bunker. I didn't quite know what to think of the small woman. She seemed grateful that I had helped get her across that field while the army was shooting at us, but aside from that she didn't seem to speak much. Maybe she just didn't like to let her guard down when it came to getting to know other people. Probably a wise decision. She was the only woman I had ever heard about in the Zone. She would have to have a tough exterior around so many men.

"Sleep well?" I asked. She seemed startled at the sound of my voice.

"You don't have to watch over me, you know. I can take care of myself," she spat.

"W- What? Christ, I was just making conversation! The hell are you talking about?"

She sighed, almost imperceptibly. "Sorry then. Guess you aren't like the others. I realized that yesterday. Let's just go see what the trader has for us."

I nodded my assent. "Yeah. Let's hope it's something easy."

* * *

><p>"This won't be easy."<p>

I groaned inwardly. Did he have to be so deadpan about it?

Sidorovich sat behind his desk, reading from his PDA. "One of my Stalkers tells me the anomaly field he was investigating has been occupied by some kind of mutant. He didn't get a good look at it but he tells me whatever it was, it sure as hell didn't want him there." He looked up at us.

"I... I don't know about this," I stammered. My first day in this Godforsaken place and he wanted me to go mutant hunting?

"If it's the two of us, I think we'll be alright," Stela said. She seemed almost cheerful at the prospect of facing down an unknown mutant. ""Plus, you said this was at an anomaly field, right? So that means we could find some artifacts. We'll need a detector though, and I'll need a real weapon." She glanced at the worn AK I wore on my back. "Artyom, you got your rifle. Let's pool our funds and get a detector and a shotgun. This should be fun." 


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Our pockets weighed heavily with spare magazines as Stela, Scout and I trudged along through the mid-morning air. We were headed northeast, towards the last known location of our quarry. Scout had offered to join us just before we left, as long as he got a fair share of the reward when we returned. Stela had shrugged, but I quickly agreed. It couldn't hurt to have a more experienced stalker to watch our backs, right?

"So, you two are new here right? So you've never even seen a mutant." Scout's voice broke the morning silence.

"No, well, not up close," I responded. "I've seen some photos of weird-looking dogs or pigs or something online. They looked kinda fake to me to be honest, though."

Scout gave a quiet chuckle. "Yeah, well, they're plenty real. Here on the outskirts of the Zone we mostly just have the blind dogs, boars and fleshes. Those pig things you mentioned. Mostly just wild animals without anything in the way of deadly mutations. But sometimes we get worse. So just keep your eyes open out here, eh?"

We crossed over a narrow one-lane road and continued on into the sparse forest. Up ahead, a steep hill rose above the treetops. Sunlight filtered through the canopy above and through the morning fog, giving the area an ethereal aura.

Scout came to a halt. "That's it up ahead. There's a train tunnel going into the side of that hill. collapsed inside, but it goes for a few dozen meters before you get to the rubble. Our mutant is probably in there." The easy-going, jovial tone of his voice was gone.

Stela drew in a breath and checked the chambers of her double-barreled hunting shotgun. I drew the weathered Kalashnikov and checked the magazine, trying hard to look like I knew what I was doing. I was once again reminded that I was learning all of this as I went along. As Scout drew his weapon, I got a good look at it for the first time. It was an almost ancient-looking long-barreled rifle with completely wood furniture. He must have noticed my gaze, as he spoke up with a wry smile.

"Heh, yeah, I get that look a lot. But just 'cause old Nugget here is semi-automatic doesn't mean she ain't reliable. You'll s-"

He was interrupted by a worried-sounding call from Stela. "Uh, Scout? I think there's a body over here." She glanced towards us expectantly.

She was right. Hurrying over to check, the two of us saw a still figure in the tall grass. The man was clad in a dark overcoat, thrown wide to reveal a bulletproof vest. Lifeless eyes stared up at the canopy, and his mouth was contorted in a frightening grimace. A revolver lay next to him, glinting in the sunlight streaming through the trees. A dark crimson bullet wound marred his temple. Scout crouched down to inspect the body as Stela and I tried to look away from his cold, unblinking eyes.

"This looks self inflicted. What do you two think?" he asked.

"I... yeah. It does," I lied. I had no idea what a self-inflicted gunshot wound looked like. Stela simply nodded grimly.

Scout rose to his feet. "Well, I wouldn't feel too bad. Looks like he was a bandit, judging by his overcoat. They're about the only ones who wear these things here. Must have a warehouse full of 'em somewhere. The question is, what happened? For some reason I don't think it's likely he just got tired of life while strolling through this forest." He bent down once more and picked up the revolver, then began to unfasten the vest on the dead man's torso.

"Wait, are you really going to just... take that?" I asked.

"Well he isn't using it anymore is he? We're stalkers. The first letter in S.T.A.L.K.E.R stands for scavenger, in case you forgot." He handed the revolver to Stela, butt first, and stuffed a collection of the dead bandit's medical supplies into his own pack. Stela and I shared a look. She shrugged once again and accepted the offered pistol, examining it and placing it in her pack with a satisfied look.

"I guess this is yours then, Artyom." He turned to me, holding out a slightly tattered bulletproof vest.

I hesitated for a moment before taking the vest, before removing my army surplus jacket and fastening it it over my torso. It fit surprisingly well.

"We're close now. Stela, take my left, Artyom, on my right. Stay loose. If you see something, signal. If something sees you, shout. Keep your eyes open, alright?" Scout began to move forward into the clearing up ahead. Beyond the trees, two rusted rail cars sat decaying in front of the entrance to the tunnel. Another car lay on it's side just inside. It felt wrong. The birds had gone silent. A wave of foreboding washed over my mind, and I saw Stela hesitate and flinch at the same time I did. We both felt it.

Up ahead, Scout had just rounded the first box car, disappearing from view. Sweat beaded on my brow and I clutched my rifle tightly. Suddenly, I heard a strangled cry, followed by a soft thud. Stela and I rushed forward to see Scout doubled over on the ground at the mouth of the tunnel, vomiting and clutching his head.

"I, th- shit, run... just, run, just _run!"_ He moaned in pain once more and fell silent. A look of horror covered Stela's face as we glanced at each other. _What the hell is GOING ON?_, I thought. Stela snapped out of her shock before I did and began trying to drag Scout into the shelter of the dark tunnel. After helping drag his (hopefully) unconscious body inside, I turned around just in time to hear Stela scream and begin firing wildly into the air. Dust and chunks of plaster floated down from the ceiling as I scrambled to find cover behind the boxcar.

"STELA! What is it? Did you see it?" I called out. She didn't answer. Peeking out from the boxcar into the darkness of the tunnel beyond, I could barely make out the figure of Stela advancing slowly toward me, a look of contorted horror frozen on her face. Her shotgun was leveled in my direction. _What the FUCK?, _I thought._ Just what in the hell is going on here?_  
>I quickly scrambled around to the other side of the rusted boxcar to put it's bulk between Stela and me. But as I turned around to look deeper into the tunnel, I froze.<p>

A few dozen meters away, standing in the dim light of a flickering barrel fire, was something that made my blood freeze.

It was something that must have once been a man. Around six and a half feet tall, it was covered in a leathery, cracked beige hide. It's limbs appeared twisted and deformed, and it's head was bulbous and large. Small, beady black eyes sat above a mouth twisted in what almost looked like a smile. Its hand was held out towards Stela.

I quickly darted back behind cover, hoping it hadn't yet seen me. I realized that that thing must be what caused Stela to go crazy and Scout to pass out. It must know I was here, but I guessed that it didn't know exactly where I was yet. I only had one chance. I wiped the sweat off my forehead and tried to calm my breathing.

In one quick motion, I stepped out from the cover of the rusted boxcar and dropped to one knee, leveling my rifle at the thing's torso, and opened fire. It noticed me a fraction of a second too late, as the first round punched into the thing's chest. Recoil pushed the muzzle of the weapon upwards as the second shot caught the creature in the mouth. The next few shots went wide and I slid back behind the car to prepare for another burst of fire.

But I had forgotten about Stela. She stumbled into view around the corner behind me, her face still twisted in a look of shock and revulsion. To my horror, she began to scream and moan in a strangled, guttural voice. Under her twisted cries I managed to make out two words: _Kill it. _

Before she could fire at me again, I broke from my cover and began to move towards the still-reeling figure in the back of the tunnel. I ignored the sharp pain I suddenly felt in my temple and fired twice more into its torso, and it dropped to the ground with a yelp of pain. A couple more shots to its head ensured it wouldn't be getting up again. I didn't want to take any chances.

* * *

><p>Scout groaned loudly as Stela and I pulled him to his feet. Stela still seemed shaken up about the invasion of her mind by whatever that thing was, and hadn't said much aside from a sincere "thank you" to me after helping her up. I quickly filled Scout in on what happened after he fell unconscious. As I spoke, his expression widened in surprise and disbelief.<p>

"Artyom, you just killed a controller."

I paused. "I killed... a _what_?"  
>"A controller. A mind-controlling psychic mutant. Some say they're the results of botched Soviet experiments in secret bunkers deep in the Zone. Wherever they come from, I've never heard of one so close to the border of the Zone. When word gets around that you killed one of those suckers, you're gonna be a legend with the rookies, you know." He paused to slap me on the back. "I'll message Sidorovich and let him know we're on our way. Let's go collect our reward, eh?"<p>

I didn't quite know what to think as the three of us began our trek back to the camp. If what Scout had said was true, I had just killed one of the deadliest mutants in the Zone. I didn't feel all that accomplished, though. I just felt lucky to be alive.

* * *

><p><em>"<em>You killed a _what?"_ Sidorovich stared at me in disbelief. We were back in the trader's bunker. A dim yellow light illuminated the cramped room. We stood before Sidorovich, sitting behind his desk.

"A controller. It knocked out Scout and... took control of me." Stela was once again speaking on my behalf.

"If it weren't for him, we'd both be dead meat. Or worse," added Scout.

"I'll be damned, rookie. First the incident with the army, and now this? You're gonna be a revered when word gets around, you know." For once, Sidorovich seemed impressed.

"To be honest, it was all luck. I was just lucky that it incapacitated Stela and Scout but not me. If they were in my position the outcome would have been the same," I said. Is this what being modest felt like? It was odd, to say the least.

"Maybe so. But either way, you did a service to the stalkers here, and I'll remember that. Just remember, I pay off my debts just like I expect others to pay theirs. From now on, I owe you. For now though, here's the promised reward." He paused to fiddle with something behind the desk, then placed a pile of money before us. "1500 rubles," he continued. "Spend it well. And next time you're in the neighborhood, drop by. I won't forget that I owe you."

The three of us exited the bunker and headed back into the cluster of ramshackle buildings that served as the rookie camp. The midday sun had dispelled the fog that permeated the area in the morning, and I could see the open road heading north, into the deeper reaches of the Zone. I started to wonder if maybe it was time for me to head on. But that was a decision to make later. For today, I just wanted to relax in the quiet camp. Tomorrow, I thought to myself, had much in store.


End file.
